The world-famous Denali National Park and the Alaska Range are iconic areas of our beautiful state. The Park is home to Denali (formerly known as Mt. McKinley), the tallest peak in North America at 20,320 feet. The name comes from an Athabaskan Indian word meaning “The High One.” At six million acres, Denali National Park is larger than Massachusetts and boasts great diversity in wildlife and flora, as well as pristine wilderness habitat.
The region’s landscape primarily consists of alpine tundra and taiga forest, allowing the Park to support a wide array of botanic and animal species. Glaciers also feature primarily in the region’s landscape and cover about 1/6 of the Park’s area, braiding and winding through the Alaska Range. There are at least 40 named glaciers in the Park and hundreds more unnamed. Depending on the time of year, the landscape shifts between the rich reds and purples of higher-elevation wildflowers, lush greens of bushes and trees, mellow blues and grays from the glacial activity, and brilliant yellows and oranges as the fall approaches.
The Park also supports a grand array of wildlife including the super popular “Big 5” mammals: grizzly bears, caribou, Dall sheep, moose and wolves. These five species, as well as host of other animals and birds, including the beautiful golden eagle, roam across the entire expanse of the Park. Many of these species are often seen on or near the 92-mile gravel Denali Park Road, the only road that provides access to or into the Park.
Several of our Alaska Adventures include opportunities to explore Denali National Park.
If you want to learn more about Denali National Park, our friends at the National Park Service provide an extensive series of resources online. Travel Alaska also provides resources with excellent information and a great history about the Park.
